1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed toward an improved, combined window and blind unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blinds, including thick insulating blinds and slat-type, shutter blinds are commonly employed adjacent the interior or inner side of a window. The blinds are hung just above the window and are unrolled to cover all or part of the window to screen out light and/or to insulate the window. The blinds can present an unsightly appearance, however, stored above the window, particularly when they require a relatively large storage space as required by thick insulating blinds. In addition, separate unsightly guide means are often provided on the sides of the window to securely guide the insulating blinds in order to properly insulate the window when the blind is drawn. If the edges of the blind are not positioned close to the sides of the window, the insulating efficiency of the blind is greatly reduced.
It is known to employ blinds in a window, which blinds are located between the inner and outer glass assemblies, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,819, issued Oct. 27, 1964, Bond, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,832, issued Aug. 24, 1965, Hordis et al, by way of example. These blinds are of the type comprising slats permanently mounted between the glass assemblies. Means are provided for rotating the slats to open or close them between the glass assemblies. The disadvantage of these slat blinds is that they do not provide an unobstructed view through the window even when fully open. The space between the glass assemblies is relatively narrow and thus many narrow slats must be used to screen the entire glass area. Thus, even when opened, the slats, due to their number, severely limit the view through the window. In addition, the mechanism required to rotate the numerous slats is relatively complicated and costly.